Chapter 6

Edited by Steve

The next morning, Tim and the girls sat in the officers’ lounge, discussing the ship’s capabilities and what happened to them. Tabatha and Tammy sat opposite Tim on the couch, drank their morning java, and ate small pieces of cake.

“Tim, how long have you been on this ship?” Tabitha asked.

“I’ve been here for about eleven days,” Tim said. “I don’t know for sure. Sarha said I was out cold for six and a half days while my body was repaired. Since then, I’ve been awake, learning about the ship. Yesterday we encountered your ship. So, counting today, it would be eleven days.”

“Well, do you have much knowledge of this ship? because you are now the captain!” Tammy commented.

“Sarha, would you tell us something about the ship? “You told me about you and the ship’s history, and I wonder if you could tell us about the ship itself.” Tim requested. He thought yesterday morning, “This could be my bridge; I’ve always wanted a ship to travel in. Now here I am, the Captain!

“Tim, before we get started, I must tell you that this ship was to be used for the Dhandrilan race to survive. Their planet was dying, so they planned to construct four ships like this one. Each ship contained the knowledge their race possessed and was tasked with finding a new home for their species. Also, they continued to gather as much information and knowledge as possible. They sent out a probe to every system they passed, and if a system had intelligent life, they gathered as much information as possible for their growing database. Some crewmembers applied and received permission to emigrate to some of the planets.

That’s why I am here. I hold the information. I search, and I find what is required. I am incapable of physical manipulation, which is why I have the bots. “The bots are my hands, but they can only do simple things.”

“Sarha, thank you for that information. That answers a lot of questions,” Tim replied.

“Tim, I can and will answer all your questions now that you are the captain.”

“OK, here is the ship.” Sarha displayed a large holographic image of the ship in the lounge area. She highlighted the bridge and said, “The first deck of the ten decks is the bridge itself, with the officer’s lounge and the debriefing room. This is the deck you are familiar with and have been utilizing.”

Tim and the two girls looked at the sizable holographic image of the ship. Just looking at the image was a shocking surprise. He thought about the individuals that built it 10,000 years ago, who were far more advanced than we are today. Sarha’s speech brought everyone’s attention back.

Sarha has now highlighted the 2nd deck area. This deck was dedicated to Bridge crew quarters and featured thirty-five different types of units. They range from single-person, one-bedroom units to family units with five bedrooms. There are storage units, three recreation areas, and garden areas if individuals desire. There were also vast areas that were not assigned a purpose. The only dedicated units were for the captain and the XO.

Sarha has now highlighted Decks 3 and 4. The remaining personnel quarters followed the same layout, with over 1,900 units on each of the two decks. The two decks had warehouse units and retail areas. There were units assigned as food bars and stores. They offered variety if the individuals did not enjoy cooking or did not know how. There was also agriculture, both hydroponics and dirt farms, and orchards. There were about sixty distinct types of trees.”

Sarha next highlighted Deck 5. This area was built for recreation. We have a lake and beach, thirty-five heated pools, one hundred thirty hot tubs, twenty-five fitness rooms, and a large meeting room with a kitchen and dining tables. This space was sometimes used for large meetings and assemblies, and there was also an area devoted to all sorts of sports.

Tammy was now paying close attention to this area; she knew some of the items Sarha talked about and had questions about others. She would wait to ask.

Sarha highlighted Deck 6. Here was the medical bay, pharmacy, armory, arsenal, firing range, storage units, and staging area. The staging area was set up for landing parties or wounded personnel brought back from the action area since it was close to the medical bay.

Sarha next highlighted Deck 7. This area was used for manufacturing, with the twenty-six replicators and the necessary raw materials. Four replicators were dedicated to food; the rest were used as needed. Currently, two replicators are working to create the parts for your ship.”

Sarha has now highlighted the Deck 8 area. This deck contained the engineering bay and other systems that ran this ship. There are a total of twenty power generators, four for shields and four for weapons. The warp drive is on this deck, too. The micro-nanobots are manufactured in this area and stored there.

Sarha has now highlighted Decks 9 and 10. Deck 9 was a large cargo storage area, and Deck 10 was the fighter’s launch bays and dropship storage. Also, maintenance was performed here.”

“OK, now I have a better understanding of where things are,” Tim said. “Girls, do you have any questions?”

“Can we go to Deck 5 and see the lake and the beach?” Asked Tammy.

“I would like to see it, too,” said Tabitha.

Following a hologram of Sarha, they all left the officers’ lounge toward the lift and took it to Deck Five. When they got off the lift, they went into a long hallway with two moving walkways, one going in each direction.

Sarha pointed to the right, saying, “On the right side are the fitness rooms. Further down are the heated pools and the hot tubs. Sarha pointed to her left. The first door on the left is the large meeting room, and the door on the right is the storage unit. The lake and beach are at the far end of the passageway,” said Sarha.

They all walked onto the right portion of the movable walkway and went down the passage. When they came to an end, they went towards the doors, which opened automatically. They gazed at a lovely lake with a white sandy beach. The area was covered with flowers and trees along the path leading to the beach. The girls ran to the lake’s edge and placed their feet in the water.

Tammy exclaimed, “This feels so nice. I wish we could go swimming!” as she splashed water on her legs. Afterward, she turned toward Tabitha, splashing water at her.

“Tammy, you know we don’t have swimsuits,” said Tabitha.

“There are designer machines in both changing rooms. Just input your information and pick a style,” Sarha told them.

The girls hurried into the women’s dressing room and began looking for the machine, thinking about the available suits. They found the machine and pressed the start button. “Who are you?” asked the device’s screen. Then the screen clears, and in the middle of the screen, a line appears, ‘Needs this in order to track your order.’ Once they entered the information, the screen showed ten different swimsuit styles.

Tammy typed in her name, and then, being the daring type, she selected a string bikini with white as the color. She has chosen a size smaller than she was, just for fun. Afterward, Tabitha chose a more modest size to cover up.

“Tammy, why did you pick out that suit?” Tabitha asked. They moved to the locker area and started to undress.

“I want to see how Tim will react to my outfit,” replied Tammy.

It only takes a few minutes for the machine to fabricate a swimsuit.

Tabitha picked up Tammy’s swimsuit and held it up in the air, turning to look at Tammy. “You’ll show Tim everything you have because this will not cover much.”

“Well, Tim will know. I am willing to show off what I have. Even if it is not much.” She then placed her hands under her breasts.

Holding the little piece of cloth, Tammy saw that it barely covered her. Looking down, she knew that Tabitha was right—it didn’t cover much. She thought, “When this thing gets wet, he may see everything.” Shrugging, she turned around and had Tabitha tie her top. “I’ll see Tim’s reaction to this outfit.”